AlmostVPN

Donationware

Current Version: 1.5.3 (October 1, 2007)

AlmostVPN is an SSH tunnel management application "with a twist," as the authors like to say. AlmostVPN provides simple to use alternative to "real" VPN. It allows you to gain access to computers and services on your private network via single, secure SSH connection. Differentiating features include:

It is packaged as Preference Panel, so you do not have to a standalone application to configure SSH tunnels.

It employs launchd to control tunnels, so you do not have to have yet another application running while tunneling.

It uses creative network configuration techniques to provide almost VPN like access to remote services, so you can keep using real IP addresses and port numbers while accessing service on the other side of your tunnels.

It provides simple way to mount remote volumes via SSH tunnel.

It can import tunnel definitions from SSH Tunnel Manager and SSHKeychain applications.

Version 1.5.3 adds/changes the following from version 1.5.2:

AlmostVPN was ignoring "Ask for password" option if SSHD server was configured to do "password" based authentication (as opposite to "keyboard-interactive")

Under some conditions Quick Configuration used to "dump" some passwords into System log file

DynDNS Updater

Freeware

Current Version: 3.0 (January 8, 2010)

Written specifically for Mac OS X, and working in conjunction with the Dynamic DNS system at www.dyndns.org, DNSUpdate allows your computer to have a consistent domain name every time you connect to your ISP.

User Reviews

IPSecuritas

Freeware

Current Version: 2.2 (October 4, 2006) / 3.4 (October 26, 2009)

Mac OS X includes everything you need to secure your communications using IPSec. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to use as it should be. IPSecuritas is a handy piece of freeware that lets you easily setup IPSec VPN connections to another host or network over the Internet, securing your data with encryption and authentication. IPSecuritas adds a graphical front-end to the built-in IPSec core, allowing you to setup secure communications within minutes. IPSecuritas interoperates with a large and daily growing number of VPN devices, including devices from popular manufacturers such as Cisco, Zyxel, Netgear and more.

Version 3.4 - the latest version for Mac OS X 10.3 or later - contains the following new functions:

Added connection warning and error indication to menu bar item icon

Added a traffic graph to the statistics window

Dashboard Widget is now installed automatically when IPSecuritas is first run

No-IP

Current Version: 3.0 (November 8, 2003) / 3.1.5 (March 31, 2010)

Similar to DynDNS Updater, but working in conjunction with the No-IP system at www.no-ip.com, No-IP allows your computer to have a consistent domain name every time you connect to your ISP.

No-IP includes two components:

No-IP.com Update Client (Installed into: /Applications) - This graphical application is used to perform instant and scheduled updates to your No-IP hosts. It is also used to configure the UNIX Background Daemon.

UNIX Background Daemon (Installed at: /usr/local/bin/noip2) - This faceless program can be configured to run in the background as a system service. It will automatically update the No-IP servers whenever your IP address changes.

Unlike DynDNS Updater, No-IP is not a Universal Binary, but it is available for "Classic" Mac OS.

While no information is available regarding what's new in version 3.1.5, version 3.1.3b3 made the following enhancements:

User Reviews

PiePants

See text.

Current Version: 1.0.0b3 (April 7, 2002)

PiePants is a PPTP client for Mac OS X. It supports encrypted communications for secure connections to your PPTP VPN. PiePants only supports a single PPTP connection at a time. Version 1.0.0b3 addresses the following:

Fixed a problem with a case-sensitive comparison of authentication data.

The author notes: "I haven't yet decided exactly how I'm going to license PiePants, but most likely it will be as pay-if-you-like shareware for a small fee (say, $25). On the other hand, it appears from the Darwin CVS tree that there may be a PPTP client in the OS before too long, which would probably make PiePants obsolete. So who knows -- maybe I'll make it free, or open source it. I'd appreciate feedback from folks on whether or not they'd pay for it. For now, there are no limitations in the beta -- please use it and give me feedback, but please understand that this is sort of a side project for me and I may have some trouble providing quick support if you run into a problem."

User Reviews

PortReflector

Shareware; $10

Current Version: 1.2.1 (August 22, 2002)

PortReflector allows Mac OS X Classic applications to access the Internet using Mac OS X's native PPP connection. PortReflector is designed to accept TCP connections on a configured port and reflect them to another host or port number. This type of functionality allows Classic applications to communicate with the internet via Mac OS X's PPP connection. PortReflector is $10, shareware. Version 1.2.1 adds/changes the following:

Fixed incompatibility with Mac OS X 10.2.

User Reviews

PPP Genie

Shareware; $12.95

Current Version: 1.1.1 (January 9, 2003)

PPP Genie is Mac OS X utility for controlling and monitoring your PPP connection. It allows you to easily open and close your connection, and keep track of the time and money you are spending online, either in a floating window or in your menu bar. It supports PPPoE and multiple configurations. Version 1.1.1 adds/changes the following:

Fixes bug introduced in v1.1.0 which could cause PPP Genie to misread and corrupt the user's registration code, causing PPP Genie to behave as though the user had not registered (unfortunately, registered users must re-enter their registration code)

PPP Genie 1.1.1 has been tested and should be fully compatible with Mac OS X 10.3, "Panther."

Tango Access version 1.3 will now support the new Mac OS X release, version 10.1.4 and higher, through its Installer component. The Tango Access Installer will prompt for a username and password, which it will configure in the Mac OS Remote Access configuration. You can then use the Mac OS native PPPoE component to make your connection. The Tango Access application is not installed on OS X. Future releases of Tango Access will inclue the Tango Access application, communicating over the Mac OS native PPPoE component. Tango Access for Mac supports all current versions of Mac OS starting 8.5 to the current 9.2.x releases.

Tango Access for Mac OS is available for purchase only in quantities of 1000 copies or more.

User Reviews

TunnelMate

Commercial

Current Version: 1.2

Powerlan USA, Inc. produces the TunnelMate SSH tunnel and client software for Mac OS X (Carbon). TunnelMate seamlessly integrates Secure Shell communications with products such as Powerlan's X Server product, WebTerm X and Powerlan's Terminal Emulator, WebTerm. The primary design goal of TunnelMate is to provide "full-service" Secure Shell communications without requiring users to run a separate shell application, as is necessary in other security solutions. TunnelMate may also be run as a stand-alone product, providing a Secure Shell console.

User Reviews

Viscosity

Shareware; $9

Current Version: 1.1 (July 22, 2010)

From the Viscosity web site: "Viscosity is an OpenVPN client for the Mac, providing a rich Cocoa graphical user interface for creating, editing, and controlling VPN connections. Viscosity provides a complete OpenVPN solution for Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) and does not require any additional downloads or software."

Viscosity includes the following distinguishing features:

Cocoa Interface - Viscosity allows connections to be completely configured through a GUI, without any need to know how to use the command-line or OpenVPN's configuration file syntax.

Leopard Support - Viscosity has been designed from the ground up for Leopard. Viscosity will run on any PowerPC or Intel Mac running Mac OS 10.5.

Traffic Statistics - Viscosity monitors your OpenVPN connections to ensure you know all the details. The floating Details window will keep you up to date with IP addresses, traffic flow, and OpenVPN messages.

Growl Notifications - Viscosity is built with Growl support to keep you notified about your VPN connection. Get alerts when the status of a VPN connection changes, including IP addresses.

Automatic Updates - Viscosity integrates with Sparkle to provide seamless update checking and installing so you don't have to. And if you don't like update checking, it can be turned off with one tick.

Enterprise Support - Easily pre-configure Viscosity so your users don't have to. Viscosity can be set up to automatically create VPN connections on first launch so users are good to go no matter their VPN knowledge.

Also includes AppleScript control, DNS support, configuration importing, and much more.

Version 1.1 adds/changes the following:

Full PKCS11 (token/smartcard) support

Ability to run AppleScript scripts when a connection connects/disconnects

IPv6 Support

DNS servers/domains can be edited using the GUI

Support for pushed WINS servers

Connections can be duplicated

Updated TUN/TAP drivers

Greater controllability using AppleScript

General editing enhancements

Various bug fixes and enhancements

User Reviews

VPN Tracker

Current Version: Client: 6.2.2 (June 16, 2010)

Equinux USA Inc. produces VPN Tracker, a tool for IPsec networking that helps you connect to VPN hardware and software with Mac OS X. The software is available for purchase in both "Professional" and "Personal" editions, as well as in a special "Player" edition.

DHCP host names now have the format hostname-VPNT to improve compatibility with some DHCP servers

XAUTH messages are no longer displayed if they have not changed since the last successful login

Fixed an issue renewing DHCP over VPN leases

The demo mode is equivalent to the licensed Professional Edition, so some of the features (such as high-level encryption) will not be available in the Personal edition. A complete comparison of both editions is available. The demo is valid for 30 days, and connections will time out after 3 minutes.

Also See . . .

Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.

Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.

Related Links

For an interesting and objective third-party view of Apple's networking technology - from MacTCP through Open Transport and beywond - Peter Sichel's Sustainable Softworks page is unparalleled.

Also Consider . . .

These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!